Wainberg earns Top Canadian Achievements Award

Mark Wainberg, Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, has been honoured by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) as one of the five recipients of the CIHR-CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards.

March 25, 2013

Mark Wainberg is well known for his initial identification of an antiviral drug, his research on antiviral drug resistance and his advocacy work in increasing access to anti-HIV drugs in developing countries. / Photo: Claudio Calligaris

Mark Wainberg, Director of the McGill University AIDS Centre, has been honoured by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) as one of the five recipients of the CIHR-CMAJ Top Canadian Achievements in Health Research Awards. Launched in 2008, the awards highlight achievements that have had a substantial impact on health, health care and health research “by improving our understanding of health and human diseases, tackling health challenges, and improving our health system.” The awards honour research in four areas: biomedical; clinical; health services; and social, cultural, environmental and population health.

The winners were selected by a peer-review panel of Canadian and international experts, who looked for the discoveries and innovations that had the biggest impact on the health of people in this country and around the world.

Wainberg was cited for for his groundbreaking research on antiviral drug resistance and his work leading to the discovery of Lamivudine (3TC). Lamivudine is one of the world’s most widely used drugs in the treatment of HIV.